A quiet place
by Griffin Strange
Summary: BOTW AU (ZeldaYiga). Princess Zelda keeps thinking about the upcoming end of the world and her inability to defend her people. As she keeps getting pressured she decides to hide or esther away from her troubles, however she never expected to end up among the last group of people anyone would be looking for, the Yiga clan.
1. Onward

**Hey ! It's Strange ! I had this idea for a long time but I really thought I would just drop the project as I would get bored easily ... also K hoped someone else would have idea. **

**I saw a lot of fics were Link was joining the Yiga clan but none very Zelda did surprisingly enough, so consider this chapter as a one shot, if enough people like it I will definitely continue it and make longer chapters.**

**Anyway, if needed I will add flashbacks in the next chapters to explain how Zelda ended up having such a strange idea, for now the fic will be rated T but it might reach M.**

**Enjoy and give me sweet reviews !**

* * *

What would bring someone to escape to the most dangerous place she could even get in ? At the moment and considering the situation, for Zelda it would be the upcoming end of the world, an over protective and over annoying father and the increasing pressure over her shoulders.

She pretexted to herself that she was doing this in order to escape, that it was by pure selfishness and that perhaps for once in her life Zelda could do something for herself without caring about her people. Deep down she was looking for answers.

None of the champions were aware, no friend knew about her project, no member of her family, no one.

This night she packed up her most precious belongings, not too precious or too "indicative", cut her hairs and died them and finally she left the castle on foot. Impa had been called away so she wouldn't be in her way, using a horse was too dangerous it would leave traces.

Once she stepped outside of the castle grounds she wasn't Zelda anymore, the princess of Hyrurle was gone and as hard as it felt Zelda wouldn't turn away, perhaps without her the champions won't be delayed and Hyrule will find a way to defeat the calamity without her ... Even better she might bring answers, more knowledge on the enemy !

But the road ahead was still very long, it would take at least two days on foot to reach the desert, perhaps she could use a caravan ? She "borrowed" clothes from the castle maids, hopefully whoever will be unlucky enough to not find back their civil clothes won't be too angry.

The closest caravan from her would be at Wetland Stable, thirty minutes on foot, then she would ask for the next caravan heading to the desert ... no, this caravan might start it's journey the next day since getting across the desert isn't easy during the day with the heat ...

So considering Zelda reaches the stable she would be stuck here for the night giving enough time for her father to look out for her and he would definitely find her at the stable. Other option she could get closer ... perhaps Outskirt Stable yes, at this time there might be at least one last caravan heading there.

Zelda ran a bit, the roads weren't really safe at night but it's not like she was completely defenceless, she knew perfectly how to handle a few monsters. It's not like they were very smart either.

The stable was still open, a couple was eating outside and talking about the exchanges with the Zora domain while a group of three people were packing up a group of horses. Zelda headed toward the administration, the head of the stable seemed to be plunged into a list of commands and prices, he barely noticed her approached and almost dropped his glasses when he stood up.

"I apologise I was stuck into this paper mess and- N-nevermind, How can I help you ? I didn't see you today, did you just arrive ?" He examined her for a moment.

"Yes, I left a bit too late, I intended to take the first caravan to Outskirt stable once I was ready but I was delayed on my way here, is there another caravan leaving soon ?"

"Well yes ! You are lucky lady ! This is the last one for today, usually we avoid to go out during the night since the Yiga clan is more active these days but those people had a really urgent course to complete so we programmed an extra, I'm sure they won't be bothered by your presence"

"That's just perfect thank you"

The head smiled and scratched something in his book "hum ... tell me, why are you going to Outskirt stable ? Usually only the people who intend to reach the desert use this caravan, and when I look at your current equipment well ... I doubt you are going here"

"N-no no, indeed I intend to go over there ... I found a job in the city, someone needs help with some paper work and they need someone who can easily translate Hylian and who already knows a bit of gerudo" she had already prepared am explanation just in case.

"Oh, I understand, but let me give you an advice, make sure to keep your cloak over your head and do not try to run at a cost, if you ever feel like the journey is too difficult turn back ... oh and try to leave as the sun is disappearing over the horizon the heat might be more tolerable, after that the desert is as cold as the river, even more colder I would say" the head stopped scribbling "anyway, that will be twenty ruppees" it was rather cheap, Zelda wasn't complaining, she had brought Bout three thousand with her.

"The caravan will be leaving in twenty minutes, if you want to eat something I can ask one of the employee to cook something quickly"

"N-no it's fine thank you, I have already ate on my way" Zelda sat next to the caravan, she intended to introduce herself to her temporary companions but they were already gone somewhere else. It was hard to not succumb to her exhaustion, she should have asked for something to eat, it might have helped to stay awake.

A bell rang, the caravan was leaving the head was waiting with another horse for Zelda "Here, this one is for you, you will be at the end of the group" zelda grabbed the reins from the head's hand and waited, the other members of the group came back from the river and stood next to their horses.

"Fine everyone is here ! Now as always I have to remind you the rules" Zelda heard a sigh coming from one of the other members, they had probably received this kind of instructions over and over again "You follow the exact same path than the map which was given to the group leader, the horses have to be recovered unharmed or else you are paying for this, and finally you have to reach the next stable before noon ... understood ?"

"Can we go already ?" Asked a young woman from the group.

The head seemingly annoyed just gestured with his hand for then to yo away. Zelda followed her companions and rode her temporary horse. First the first ten minute of her journey no one spoke, she was divided about this, she would feel way safer if Zelda had someone else to chat with, at the moment she found herself with perfect strangers.

She noticed that one of her companions didn't seem to be very stable on their horse "Hey, are you alright ? You keep falling on your side"

The caravan stopped, the woman in front of Zelda jerked awake "I-I- was I sleeping ? Ah sorry, I thought I could hold on during the night" the lead of the caravan went to see if the woman was alright.

"You can't ride in this state, you would just get hurt ... let's see, there is a small water plan where we can rest for the night, we will finish our journey once the sun rises. Is everyone okay with this ?" As no one in the caravan chose to refuse they made a small deturn to stop for the night.

Zelda asked if the woman needed some help with her tent, she gladly accepted her offer. Even though Zelda didn't have much experience with this kind of task she managed to complete the tent within five minutes.

"Thank you, I'm glad you noticed I was falling asleep, we would have reaches the mountains soon and then it would have been a real problem"

"It's nothing, as the end of the caravan I supposed it's my job do this right ?"

"Pretty much, I'm Freya, what's your name ?"

"It's- ... S-heik" Zelda almost forgot how to pronounce her temporary name.

"S- ... S- ... Heik ?" Even her newfound friend had trouble.

"Sorry, usually people just say Sheik, it's not even so different"

"Hahaha, that's the kind of name people remember, do you often use caravans ?"

"Not really, exceptionally I'm using this one to reach the Gerudo town, I found a job offer over here" in fact she intended to stop at Kara Kara Bazaar before looking for the clan.

"Ah, a long one ? I hope that's the case for you, honestly I wouldn't like to keep crossing the desert, it's not well protected and it's filled with lizalfos this days"

"Really ?"

"Yeah, me and my colleague are transporting food on this road, it's a literal hell to get to our destination unscratched" Freay brought her hands to her shoulders "it's getting cold out here, you wanna go in with me for a while ?"

"Y-yes if you authorise me" the inside of the tent was way warmer, Zelda couldn't say what it was made of, it wasn't soft.

"Pretty surprising isn't it ? It's actually made out of lizalfos moult, no matter where it is it keeps things at a stable temperature, I'm glad someone managed to find this out"

"That's great, it must be rare I haven't heard about any being sold"

"It is rare ! It's probably one out of the fifty in existence, the materials aren't rare to get but one mistake during the fabrication and the whole construct is useless, yet once it's finished it's very sturdy" Freya opened a bottle and handed it to Zelda.

"What is this ?" Asked the princess, the liquid inside was purple, it's smelled like alcohol.

"It's made out of hearty durian and ... well I have no idea what else is in it but don't worry I already drunk some three days ago and I'm perfectly fine, it's just something to celebrate our friendship"

Her father would probably kill her if he knew about this, Zelda drinking with a perfect stranger outside of the castle in the middle of the night, and he would probably worsen the whole situation by adding for example that it is improper for two women to do this kind of things together and blablabla,

Zelda took a great sip, it actually tasted great and the alcohol wasn't too strong "To our friend ship !" She answered raising the bottle in the air.

* * *

**The next day.**

* * *

Zelda opened her eyes, the was inside Freya's tent, she slightly remembered drinking alcohol and ... telling jokes about moblins ? She had a blanket over her body ... her body.

She just realised that she was naked expected for her bottom.

"Ah you are awake ! My my what a night we had !" Freay stood above her and she was VERY naked compared to Zelda, hopefully she was currently dressing back up "we are leaving in twenty minutes, you have some time don't worry"

"H-hey, I- ... did we do anything- I-I mean-"

"Hahaha don't worry dear we didn't do anything too naughty, we just had some fun around a nice bottle of the finest alcohol you can find around here and I also discovered that you can't support alcohol after one sip" Freay resisted the urge to laugh as she seemed to remember way more of what had happened last night than Zelda did.

"S-sorry ... it's not like I don't trust you please don't think this"

"Because you do trust me ? Wow that really shows you are a nice person, perhaps I should drop by at Gerudo Town from time to time to check on you "

Zelda smiled and started dressing up again, her bag was left untouched but her cloth were scattered at each corner of the room.

"Hey just asking, how old are you ?"

"I'm sixteen"

"Really ? I thought you were older ! You are very young in fact, I never expected that someone of your age would be travelling around the kingdom to find work"

"I didn't really have the choice" how ironic "and you how old are you ?"

"Hehe, I'm nineteen"

"That's not even so old compared to me !" Commented Zelda slightly annoyed.

"HAHAHA your reactions are priceless"

* * *

**A few hours later.**

* * *

The caravan reached Outskirt stable, Freya presented Zelda to Anton or rather Sheik to Anton, he was her colleague and they were tasked to deliver food. They were already transporting backpacks since they left the first stable but another one was waiting at Outskirt stable.

"Oh great ... here goes my monthly "bonus" at least I will get an extra pay" complained Freya.

"You mean WE will get OUR extra pay right ?"

"Yeah yeah whatever ... hey Sheik, we are leaving right now, do you want to join us ? We will part away at the entrance of the desert though"

"Yes of course ! Do you need any help with this bag ?"

"Well- ..." Freya and Anton exchanged a glance "if you want yes, thank you" they continued their journey, Zelda asked what they were carrying, Anton didn't answer, Freya ... well Freay answered but not completely "mostly fruits, I don't know what's in yours but I guess it's full of hearty durian, it's one of the only fruits which can grow around here ... along with wildberry strangely enough"

Anton signled to stop he gestured for Freay to look ahead of them, the entrance of the desert was here but something seemed wrong.

"What's happening ?" Asked Zelda

"Hum ... follow me" Freay grabbed Anton's back pack and Zelda's hand, she dragged her behind a rock "The gerudos have installed some sort of barrage, Anton went to check what was happening, there is also a pack of hyrule soldiers"

Zelda gulped, a day had passed since she disappeared, her father probably sent people to the borders of the kingdom in order to find her.

Freay noticed her friend's distress "Hey, what's wrong ?"

"W-we aren't carrying anything illegal right ?"

"W-what ? N-no of course ! Why would be carrying illegal stuff in our bags ? Haha"

Anton came back, he looked annoyed "Well ... we have a problem, can I talk to you ALONE for a moment ?"

Freay sighed and left Zelda alone with the bags for a moment, she came back with her colleague after a few minutes "Sorry Sheik but we have to leave you here, the gerudo won't let us pass unless we take another road to get into their territory, you will have to cross the border alone"

Zelda couldn't, what if Urbosa was present ? What if she notices her ?

"W-Wait ! I- ... I lied"

Freya and Anton looked confused "... you ... lied ?"

"Y-yes ... I-I never had a job at Gerudo Town nor anywhere in the desert, but-but I have to go there ! And it's to dan- I mean, I can't cross the border at this time"

Freya and Anton exchanged yet another glance "Are you ... look this is going to be a personal question, and I won't be judging you nor harming you no matter what is your answer but ... are you being researched by those soldiers ?"

"Perhaps"

"... Are you a criminal ?"

"N-not really but-"

"Well that's perfect ! Don't worry we have been here too, both" Anton smiled and nodded "Don't worry dear we will get you across the border alright ?"

Zelda never expected that her newfound friend would reveal herself to be some sort of trafficker ... well she had no proof yet but she was very suspicious.

It didn't really matter, Freya was a nice person and Zelda had been lucky enough to met her, but what would happen once she crossed the border ?

* * *

**Next chapter (if it ever comes out) "Yiga"**


	2. The deseet

**Hey guys ! I kinda had to chose which story I should continue while my main story is being checked by my Beta so here is the new chapter for my little experiment !**

**Make sure to leave a review or simply ask a question !**

* * *

Zelda, Freya and Anton turned back, the two travellers knew a way around the main entrance of the desert.

"There is an abandoned stone-pit just above just, it used to be owned by the royal family, an investment to provide materials for the castle"

Zelda had heard about this, a lot of people used to work here about a decade ago, a lot of stones of the castle were made here ... but she couldn't recall exactly why it was abandoned at this point.

"Do you know what happened ?" She asked Freya.

"Stone talus, there is about twenty and more all around the pit, I guess the army didn't have the guts to fix the problem"

The stone talus, Zelda had already seen one once when she was on her way to the goron village, she witnessed Daruk chasing one All by himself. She was in fact really interested by this creatures, were they organic or simply animated by magic ? According to the Goron champion they always had the same weakness, a crystal places smewhre around their body, if it was destroyed then the stone talus would collapse.

Yet it was a bold comment to accuse the army of Hyrule, cowardice was probably the last of their default.

"Why are you saying this ? It's not as easy to defeat a stone talus as a simple moblin" commented Zelda.

"They didn't even try to defend the place, when they appeared everyone just left all the equipment where it was. Instead of finding a solution they decided to just forget this place. If at least they had tried something ... I'm just thinking about the people who used to work here and-"

A few stones fell from above.

"... Alton ?"

Freya's companion dropped his bag and opened it, he took out a bow with two arrows "Hopefully it's not-" right as Alton started to speak the ground started to shake, in an instant a massive boulder emerged from the ground.

"A talus ! Sheik behind us ! Quick !" Zelda dropped her bag just like Freya and Alton did, the talus grabbed a big rock and raised it in the air "He is about to throw duck !"

The talus aimed for Alton, Frey noticed that and pushed her companion away, making him drop the bow on the ground.

"The bow ! Quick someone grab it-" the Talus focused his attacks on the two travellers, Zelda used that momentum to take the bow and the arrows, and not any arrows, explosives arrow, obviously they knew they might have to go through the stone pit.

Zelda lit the first arrow "Make him turn around !" The crystal was on his back, Alton and Freya didn't have much space to move around but they seemed to understand what Zelda was up to.

Alton threw a rock at the Talus to get his attention while Freya repositioned herself to take the lead after him "Take that you fat piece of rocks !"

The Talus looked VERY offended surprisingly, and right as he was turning around a first arrow hit it straight into his weak point, the rock monster lost his balance. Freya noticed he was approaching from the pit "Sheik ! Another one now !"

Zelda didn't waste any time and shot another arrow hitting her target once again, The Talus completely lost his balance and tripped down the pit. Alton and Zelda joined Freya right on time to witness the monster exploding in the air before finally reaching the bottom.

"... Too bad we didn't get it's loot" complained Alton who was already going to pick back the bags.

"Oh comon ! We just defeated a Talus ! Isn't that great ?" Freya tried to cheer up everyone.

"We used our two arrows, that's very expensive you know ? If we managed to get his loot we might have been able to buy at least thirty of those" Alton stared at Zelda "... Anyway good job I guess" Alton didn't wait for either Zelda or Freya.

"Don't worry he is always like this, I think you impressed him in fact ... hey ! Where did you learn to use a bow like this ?" Freya asked with amazement in her eyes as Zelda still had the bow in her hands.

"O-oh uh well I-I used to hunt a bit so I guess it helps hehe"

Freya smiled and gently tapped Zelda in her shoulder, I guess you can keep it, you deserved it" she said gesturing at the bow "I might even ask you to teach me a thing or two later !"

Zelda smiled innocently, if only Freya knew she had only use a bow about twenty time in her life, she wouldn't call this luck but it was very close from the truth "You were prepared, I mean, those arrows are expensive, do you often cross the border throught the pit ?"

"More than you imagine, usually most of the Talus stay away from the center, they ... uh sleep, I guess, on the higher parts, and again most of the time they are either inaccessible or simply not that useful to add on our itinerary" explained her friend

"T-then ... don't you fear the-the Yiga clan ?"

The two travellers stopped to stare at Zelda showing confusion on their face then they exchanged a glance and started laughing "Hahaha Sheik you can't be serious, why would the Yiga attack people on the roads ?"

There was about a hundred reasons which would justify her statement, to steal food, weapons, kill innocent just of the sake of a certain god of darkness or who knows what ... oh and also even more innocent princess ... right ? Still Zelda couldn't bring herself to complain about seeing them being so careless "S-Sorry .. I-I mean . Technically they worship-"

"The great calamity ?" Completed Freya "So what ? As far as I have heard they never killed any citizen of Hyrule ... okay perhaps one of those Sheika guy because of some old affairs between the two clans. I don't see the problem worshipping another god, even the Gerudos do so !"

"It's not wrong to worship another god, I'm not saying this ! But ... I just don't understand why they wish for the destruction of their own world ..." Zelda was looking at the ground but she saw the two travellers exchanging a curious look.

"Perhaps ... perhaps they do not feel great in the current world ... if the great calamity is supposed to destroy this world then it might also be supposed to rebuild it right ? Like, who would want to destroy the only world they can live in if they can't rebuild it behind ?" Zelda had to admit that Freya was right, no one would be crazy enough to destroy the world without reason, not even a god.

"Say Sheik ... since you are not really going to the Gerudo city..." Freya paused, as if she was awaiting a reaction from Zelda "How about you go with us for a while ?"

"I-I don't-"

"Oh comon admit it, the guards at the entrance of the desert, you definitely didn't want to get close from them right ? I promise that if you join us they will never bother you ! Beside I really need to talk to someone else than the other angry guy behind us"

Both girls barely heard their companion protest with a low "HEY" meaning he probably didn't care that much about what other people might be thinking of him.

"You are offering me something I can't repay"

"It's okay ! Let's add that to the Talus you just killed a few moments ago ! Comon Sheik I'm sure you will do just fine among us !"

* * *

Among us ... what did she mean by among us ? Of course she was talking about Alton an herself but Zelda felt like Freya meant something deeper.

They pursued they journey in the desert, the night was approaching fast, they had the luck to not encounter a single monster on their way, Zelds thanked the goddesses more than one time.

"Where are we going to spend the night ?" She asked a bit worried that their fabulous luck might run out soon or later.

"I can't tell you exactly ... yet, but well you see this canyon ? We are going here" explained Freya, the monsters know this place, they aren't going here"

This sounded even less reassuring "Why ?"

"Well uh-" Aton coughed interrupting Freya "Yeah I-I meant ... like you see the stone pit ? People don't go here anymore because they know about the Talus ...mostly, right ? Well it's technically the same with this place, the monsters know they have absolutely no reason whatsoever to go around this place"

About when the sun was disappearing over the horizon they finally reaches the entrance of the canyon, here the air became suddendly cold, not too cold but Zelda really missed the desert she had been walking throught just a few minutes ago.

Soon Zelda started to see weird statues placed all over the inside of the canyons, and also ropes ... perhaps a refuge for travelers ? And some decorations to scare the monsters away ? In fact Zelda felt like she was figuring out something.

"We are almost completely safe now, there is about less than 1% chance that a Molduga suddenly decides to charge inside the canyon for a reason or another" declared Freya who suddendly became VERY excited.

"Just move please, I'm REALLY tired and I want to be able to sleep asap" Alton didn't wait for any of them and kept on walking further into the canyon.

"I swear his temper is going to get him killed one day and- .. wait, did they just put back all the flags ? Oh comon talk about being discreet" Zelda followed Freya's look above them, there were indeed flags attached to the ropes.

And not any flags, Zelda's blood froze ... Yiga flags everywhere, all around her. She was right in the wolf's maw. Since the beginning she had been travelling with people who's first goal is to kill her ...

Great, she had to see the good point, either her "disguise" was really working for se reason or they were just pretending until the end to brutally kill her later, she hoped for the first option of course.

"Hey Sheik ? Something is wrong ?" Freya didn't waste any time noticing that Zelda was staring at the flags "Oh ! ... well ... yeah I guess you might have learn this sooner or later ... no hard feelings ?"

Zelda managed to mutter "N-no"

"... I'm sorry it's not like I can tell the first person I meet that I'm a member of the Yiga clan ... but it was different in your case, you were hiding from the guards to you some fighting talents, I couldn't miss the occasion ! I know you don't really like the Yiga, we discussed during our journey, I'm just offering you a place to live, a job if I may say, you can refuse if you want but ... Sheik, consider this"

Freya held Zelda for a moment, the shock was already hard enough to take "I- ... I'm not sure I should-"

"You have nothing to fear ! We aren't the evil assassins described by the people of Hyule I swear ! Please Sheik don't go, if you turn around now the monsters will definitely get you at this hour"

... The occasion was too great, Zelda remembered why she chose to leave, hatred, sadness, fear ... curiosity. The answer to all her problems was right here and she was even being offered it.

"I- ... I guess I can take a look around" probably not the thing she would have said in a different situation"

"I'm glad you accepted, I'll make sure you feel comfortable, you might not be allowed to stay as long as you want but I'm sure I can find you something to do so Master Koga can let you stay here"

Zelda stayed right next to Freya her only source of protection for the moment as far as she knew. As they progressed the amount of statues and flags increased, they were about to reach the end of the canyon when they simply ended up in front of a dead end.

"... F-Freay is this-" Zelda pointed at the small stone block stuck into the cliff.

"Well yes that's supposed to be the entrance of our hideout ... what did you expect ? Cranes ? Massive doors ?"

Zelda indeed expected a mix of both ... but more the massive door honestly "How do we open it ?"

"Password" Freya hit the stone block two times and soon she heard someone yell behind.

"PASSSWOOORRRRDDDD ?" their voice was muffled so the stone block had to be thick.

"YOU IDIOT ALTON JUST ENTERED IT'S ME FREYA !" She yelled back ... after a moment no response.

"DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME ? I SAID PASSWORDDDDDD ?"

"Oh by the great calamity itself ..." Freya put her hand on her forehead.

...

"Did you forget the password ?" Zelda dared to ask.

"W-well uh ... it's supposed to be a silly joke between a Rito and a Gerudo but I can't remember it ... it tells about reproduction or something"

"... oh ! Oh I think I know it !" Probably the last thing anyone in her entourage would have found useful and indeed it was very silly "It's a rito and and a Gerudo talking about baby's ! The rito explains how eggs work and then he asks the gerudo how do they produce eggs and then the gerudo answers "bird's magic" or something simi-" the stone block started moving, revealing a short tunnel.

"... Well good job ! You- ... in fact I don't even know if you either found it or guessed it at this point but you did gre-" Freya was interrupted by the yell of the voice from the inside of the hideout.

"WOULD YOU MIND GETTING IN ? I DON'T HAVE ALL DAY AND I MUST REMIND YOU THAT I AM HOLDING THE DAMN LEVER IN PLACE TO PREVENT THE DOOR FROM CLOSING"

"Oupsy so sorry !" Freya grabbed Zelda's hand and dragged her inside.

They reached a circular room filled with greater flags, Zelda didn't see any other way toward another room.

"Now what do we have here ?"


	3. The Yiga hideout

**I just tried to write what I had I mind for this chapter, it's kind of hard to figure out the Yiga philosophy, and it's hard to Express Zelda's feeling, she wanted to go away and simply disappear, but she didn't mean to end up with the Yiga clan, so now she is scared yet she feels compassion and the pain is still present and it's just a hellish loop at this point ...**

**Anyway for the ten people following me have this !**

* * *

"Now what do we have here ?"

The flags were ripped away revealing at least twenty soldiers equipped with bows ready to shoot at Zelda. She felt a large and being placed on her left shoulder, Zelda didn't dare turning away from all the Yiga soldiers, a scare cold hand was always less scarier than the pointy things being pointed at her, great she could even manage to make so sarcasme out of her current situation.

"Hey ! Could you guys chill a bit ?" Complained Freya.

"She is stranger, what is she is a spy ? What if the whole Hyrule army has been following you ? Think a bit Freya how many recruits did we had in the last three month" the voice came from behind Zelda, she guessed the hand belonged to the same person. They sounded like a man and their voice was filled with a directed hatred.

"None ? It's not like we actively recruits people ... can you let her go now ? She isn't even carrying a weapon"

"Oh- ... w-well in that case I guess we uh-" the voice had suddenly lost all kind of aggressiveness.

"KOHGA YOU IDIOT ! IS THAT ANY MANNER TO WELCOME SOMEONE ?" A completely different voice echoed from deeper in the cavern, and Zelda could swear it belonged to a woman. The soldiers lowered their bows and stared at a small figure with a very large hat approaching from Zelda.

The figure walked slowly and was trailing something behind her, zelda would describe the object as a large bread, she had never seen anything like this but it looked so similar to the shrines that has been uncovered a few month ago around Hyrule. Once the figure was in front of Zelda it stopped and raised her head to reveal a VERY old woman.

"Could you please take a step on your right ?" Asked the woman.

Zelda didn't waste any second and executed her demand, and she was right to be so prompt to respond as in the next second the old woman was suddenly brandishing a large staff and smashing it where Zelda previously stood.

"OUCH !"

The old woman had smashed her staff straight over the man's head, he who seemed to previously be in charge of the situation looked completely powerless now, Freya and the other "members" as Zelda would cal them, she didn't think it would be appropriate to use the word "soldier" considering they had nothing in comon with knights, anyway them and Freya didn't really look like they cared about what was going on, even if some of them chuckled, they were very serious in the presence of the old woman.

Freya joined Zelda and started whispering to her "I hoped we would avoid all this mess, in fact I didn't even think it would be possible to end up like this but let me make the presentations, this woman is our elder, master Onak and the guy who just got downed by our elder is her grandson, captain Kohga ... don't mind him he is a show off, I mean ... he is probably younger than you, not mature enough if you want my own point of view"

Zelda raised an eye brow and stared in confusion at Freya "A wha-"

"I do not know how you managed to wake up most of our effectives but I'm almost certain that with all that noice you manage to wake up a few children who might currently be wondering where are their parents ! ... oh and in case I forgot ... YOU IMBECILE !" Onak tried to hit her grandson again but this time the captain managed to dodge.

"I do not remember that Freya was allowed to bring outsiders here ! In OUR super secret hideout !" His voice was less more terrifying now ... in fact Zelda could perfectly picture the face of Kohga throwing a tantrum.

"I will deal with this personally, now you Kohga and-" the elder seemed to randomly point her staff at other members of the clan "you, you AND you are going to clean up the third vault !'

"B-but gra" Kohga tried to complain and according to his stuttering this punishment didn't sound enjoyable at all but the old woman had already something planned for this kind of scenario.

WANK

"DON'T YOU GRANNY ME ! NOW APOLOGIZE !"

The captain sighed and took of his mask, he was, as Freya told Zelda, seemingly younger than her "Sorry for this really uncomfortable welcome ... and I hope we can forget all of this and eventually come up with a better ... ah-y-you get it-"

"It-it's fine really no one was hurt !" Zelda knew how it felt to be forced to do something against her will either because she did like it even if it was necessary or because it was her duty ...

"Good ... now what are you all doing here ?! Go to sleep or go back to your occupations !"

Freay whispered to Zelda again "Do not be scared she may yell a lot but she is a caring grandmother for everyone" both of the girls had to stop chatting when the staff was now directed at Zelda.

"Well well well, I see you brought a guest Freya, they must be exceptional if you let them get inside our base in the middle of the night"

"Y-yes mistress-"

"Master ! For Ganon's sake, respect my title for once !"

"Pl-please accept my apologies, this-this is Sheik, we happened to meet each others at a relay and she was trying to avoid the guards so we ended up teaming to get inside the desert at the guards were blocking the frontier-"

"Blocking the frontier ? ... why ?"

"Well we don't know in fact ... uh sh-should I have tried to find out why ? I-in Anton went to ask the guard but they just asked him to either get inspected and cross the border or to turn back if he didn't want to be ... uh ... yes cooperative"

"Tchhh ... Hyrule, anyway then how did you cross- ... did you went throught the one place not even I would send our most talented warriors ? The highlands are infested with-"

"Pebblit yes ! But we had no other choice, who knows when the guards would finally leave the frontier or if they wouldn't eventually get the idea to directly come to us and "ask" to check the contents of our bags ... anyway ! We did end up fighting a Pebblit but Sheik literally destroyed it ! She is as sharp as a rito with a bow ! And-and since Sheik had nowhere to go I-"

At this very moment the old woman froze, the large hat over her head made a small jump, something had caught her attention.

"Enough ... She can tell me her story by herself ... Sheik, let's meet in my quarters, you must be exhausted after fighting a pebblit and surviving" master Onak was ... smiling ? She had lost her cold and strict aura and now she was smiling like- ... like a grandmother ? Zelda tries to see if this was just a another mask but her sentiments seemed true "Follow me, I will give you a tour of our home at the same time if you intend to stay"

Freya gently pushed Zelda toward the old woman and before she had the time to say anything her friend was laughing and following the other members of the clan.

"You are scared, you can breath no one is going to kill you ... unless you are a spy and you try to put us in danger"

"I-I'm not-"

"Hahahahaha ... I was just messing with you, you already managed to gain Freya's trust and respect, I admire that, she isn't like a river, this girl is a tsunami, she can't follow any rules and- ... most of the time it isn't a problem but she always get in trouble at some point, I can't thank you enough, if you hadn't been here she might have died against that monster, pebblit are forces of nature you can't "speak" with them unlike bokoblins or moblins ... did I talk too much ?"

"N-no I-I was listening ... it's-it's very interesting in fact I- ... I thought Yiga were just bandits and assassins but Freya offered me protection when she didn't even know who I was and- ... you spoke about children, does It mean the other-"

"People often see evil as evil, we may worship and support the great calamity but we have made our decision, no one should be forced to fight for something or a side of a coin. The Yiga clan isn't an assembly of monsters and demons, we are childrens, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, families ...the light couldn't help us, we found happiness in the darkness"

"I- ... understand I feel bad for thinking this-this way" how was she supposed to not think about the people who had for objective to kill her in a bad way ? ... was this all a bad joke ? A lie to finally kill her when she would trust them ? She was already deep inside the lion's mouth, if she died ... Zelda would regret so many things.

Onak went throught a large room filled with crates and various objects that seemed useless like a way top large amount of brooms and pots put together, even at Hyrule castle there wasn't such large amount.

Zelda had been in Kakariko a lot of times and she was surprised to see that the architecture of the hideout was very similar, the houses were built inside the rock, there wasn't a lot of space to live but Onak wasn't lying, this place was filled with people of all ages, not even dressed in Yiga uniforms, children playing togethers, teenagers chatting, an old man yelling at another about- ... bananas ?

"Looks like my grandson ended up waking everyone ... it's not night time yet anyway I guess I can let them have so fun, but no more sound after midnight"

"I have never seen houses built on each others like this"

"It's easier to dig than to build to be honest hahaha, I remember how thirty years ago there was two time less space here, we also have a large part of the canyon which is unused but I will show you later, ah here ! My quarters" Onak's quarters weren't large as Zelda would have expected, she bad brought her to a small house among many others, the front was light with two orange lanterns.

"It's wonderful"

"... are you going to stare at it for a long time ? I can give you one if you-"

"I-I apologise l-lead the wa-" Onak had already opened the door and was waiting for the princess to walk inside "O-Oh-" she blushed hard because of how akward she looked in front of the old woman.

The inside of her quarters as Onak called them was even more simple, a few shelfs filled with scrolls and books, a table, a furnace digged in the stone, and a bed.

"Have a seat" she offered, the seat was in fact the ground but Zelda didn't care, she got used to this after so many visit in Kakariko "You told me- no, Freya told me your name was Sheik right ?"

"Y-yes"

"It's funny ... that's the kind of name you only hear from the Sheika clan" Zelda felt a shiver running down her spine, how was she stupid enough to pick the one name that would guarantee her death ? "But no Sheika would be stupid enough to take this kind of name and come here unarmed am I right ? And ... well do not take it too personally but you are far from the standards of the Sheika clan"

"Am-am I being interrogated ?"

"Examined to be correct, I need to be suspicious, I'm not going to let in anyone who might threaten our clan ... I could always be mistaken though, tell me more about you, how old are you ?"

"I'm sixteen"

"You look older ... your birthday is approaching soon am I right ?"

"Yes, in a few months"

"Ah, I see, now, what about your parents ? They certainly wouldn't let their daughter running away from Hyrule"

"My- ... my mother is dead and my father is- ... we aren't on good terms-"

"Oh please, your face screams that you aren't simply not on good terms with your father ... you hate him ?"

"N-no I- ... sometimes I have the feeling he doesn't realise he keeps pushing me to become something I simply can't be, he is good but he has duty to- ... he works so much that I do not have the occasion to "be" his daughter"

"... a hight position ?"

"I guess we should keep it that way ... I ran away because I- ... because i had enough, I needed to breath but I ended up realising that if I came back I would be- ... i would probably be ashamed because I gave up"

"You ran away to breath hahaha, perhaps destiny brought you here for a reason, we all have something to confess, something we desire but we can't reach. The Yiga clan supports those who lost their way, tell me Sheik ... how long do you think you want to stay here ?"

"I- ... I can ?"

"You saved two of my "grandchildren" you are more than welcomed ... we could even give you a task here so you wouldn't get bored, what were you doing before you ran away ?"

"I-" Onak kept staring at her since the begging of their conversation, the old woman barely blinked, hell whe could probably determine if Zelda was lying or not, she had to say something and it had to be a close tooth or an equivalent.

"I-I was a scholar, I studied ancient technology and the biodiversity of Hyrule and it's surrounding countries"

"Oh ! Marvelous ... Sheik, you noticed we have many children here, most of them are taught how to fight and hunt by our members but I think you could give them something else, if you think you are up to the task then perhaps I could let you become one of their teatcher ! They barely get out of this old cavern, you said you studied the biodiversity, they would love to know how the world outside look"

"I-I could-" the idea was sweet, teatching ... the one thing Zelda had always been good at, she improved the divine beasts, discovered many buried guardians, even found new recipes for cures using simple plants and monster parts All around Hyrule. "If-If I accept to teach ... how long can I stay here ?"

"As long as you need my dear ... do you pray ?"

She wanted to say too much, that's what Zelda had on her mind after all "Often ... why-Oh ... I see it-it wouldn't be-"

"You can pray to any god you want to but ... you will have to come and confess to the calamity at least once, no one is forcing you but this is some sort of ritual for our members"

"W-what do you mean by confessing ?"

"Simple, we have an effigy, all you have to do is to confess you deepest pain, failure, hatred, the calamity helps us to heal from the invisible forces that are poisoning or souls, it feeds on our negative emotions and turns them into energy, it helps us and we help it, an equitable trade"

"It-it works ?"

"You will have to discover this by yourself, you do not have to do it immediately, when you feel ready, speak to me ... for now I should let you rest, Freya will show you her room, she have a spare bed and she is probably more than interested to have you as her roommate ... and by the way I know you are listening you little rat !"

The door slowly opened revealing Freya's face "hehehe ... he-I-I didn't mean to hear eavesdrop the conversation master-"

"Oh shut it, show your house to your friend here already, you won't listen in this state of excitem-"

"Oh by the great calamity Sheik ! We are going to be the best friends ever, come here give a hug to your new roommate !" Zelda was slightly uneasy when the girl hugged her, no one expect Urbosa had been that "close" from her, not even her father would-

"ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME YOU-"

"Let's go ! I cooked fish for tonight !" Zelda was dragged out of Onak's quarters by her new roommate, finishing to annoy the elder who simply ended up screaming really loud once Freya had closed the door.

"Is-isn't that a bit disrespectful ?"

"Hum ? Nah ... master Onak talks A LOT too much anyway, here ! It's right there !" Freya's quarters where about thirty meters away from Onak's. They were almost identified from the outside, however the inside was ... messy, uncleaned bowls laying in piles, along with various books opened at random pages, shelfs filled with what Zelda would qualify as junk, shells, glass bottles, rocks ... souvenirs ? Freya had a very curious collection, the other side of the room however was untouched, or at least Freya had cleaned up everything in case Zelda was offered to stay with her.

"It's not spacious but trust me, you won't find a better place to live at any relay in Hyrule !"

"It's wonderful ... what are those ?" Zelda was talking about Freya's collection.

"Oh ! I pick up a lot of things during my travels, me and Anton, or even someone else, it depends with who I'm paired, our mission is to collect various materials that the members of the clan need, food, metal, components. I travel a lot ! So I always try to bring a bit of everything with me. The rocks here come from the Goron mines ! They are worth a small fortune hahaha ... but I don't really care about money anyway, it's not that useful here"

"The Goron mines ? That's far !"

"Not that far, when you travel efficiently you can be here in only one day ... have you ever travelled before ? I mean ... I always notice when people aren't used to relays and caravans, and I'm almost certain you never used one"

"No ... not really, if I had to travel I would always make sure that I can sleep in a town or in a tent, I wasn't allowed to use relays"

"I did hear about your father, was it because of him ?"

"He is very protective but at the same he acts as if I was just a- ... a puppet and-and as if I can't take care of myself or my- ... tasks"

"You said you were a scholar ... does it mean you- ... worked at the castle ? I mean, I don't see where else you would be working, perhaps in one of the labs near Akkala"

"No you are right, I was working at the castle but ... my father didn't want to let me get involved into their research, he said I wasn't supposed to be studying and that I should rather- ... that I should rather-" Zelda was cornered once again, she felt like getting close from the truth was the best way to lie yet she was way too close from the edge now.

"It's okay if you don't want to speak about this ... so you want to be a teacher ? What are you going to talk about ?"

"Uh ? Oh W-well I- ... I don't know ... have you been to classes ?"

"Like everyone here, they taught us how to read, write and count first, the essentials before anything else I can understand, then ... a bit of history about the kingdom, it's people, the different races, geography, my favorite hahaha, and we had a lot of lessons about survival in the wild and fighting ... perhaps too much, we only had classes during one half of the day, it was obvious that you can't keep childrens focused on one thing for four consecutive hours"

"They- ... they don't like classes ? Are they nice ?"

"My dear Sheik ... they are childrens"

...

"Oh ... then ... I never studied with other people I- ... I had "private" sessions or I would do it on my own so I never had any "real" social experience of this level ... what would you like to learn if you were in class ?"

"I would like to be free and go play with my friends"

"That's- ... awfully honest and true ... this is going to be so terrible, why did I accept to do that ?" Zelda buried her head between her legs, she was in a life or death situation and now being humiliated in front of children would her last suffering in this realm.

"Hey Sheik" Freya pushed a plate against her legs, when Zelda stopped hiding her face she was met by a pair of dead eyes ... but with a very good smell "Eat this, it will help you think, then ... how about we get drunk again ?"

Zelda hadn't even taken a bit of the fish that she was reminded of that one night during which she broke all her father, nobles and courtesy rules ... or whatever they were called ...

"... I don't think it would be a good idea"

"Hahaha, Sheik you need to let go a bit, I didn't force you to do anything against your will ... even if the alcohol gave you a really uh ... uh ... twisted personality"

"How did I end up naked ?"

"You did"

...

"I did ?"

"Yes ... you said that it was too hot in here and I quote that you "needed to get punished for your incompetence" but I think you were trying to be over ironic at this time and then I also got carried away in your drunk madness and then we uh ... we ... did cuddle and ... and I can't remember"

"You-you haven't done anything-"

"I would never ! ... unless you ask nicel-"

"Let's just eat and forget about this alright ?!"

* * *

**One diner later.**

* * *

Zelda and Freya ended up drinking, but it was something light this time, the princess would end up in a depressive state before the end of the week. That's how she foresaw the evolution of her situation ... the rest of the clan had gone quiet, it was late and they must have been exhausted after Zelda's troublesome arrival.

They decided to skip cleaning their plates and to simply lay on the ground and stare at ceiling until either the princess of the Yiga succumbed to sleep.

"... why did your fish tasted like banana ?"

"We put some in all our food, it makes us stronger that's our little secret" talking about this Freya, showes Zelda that she had a large crate filled with bananas hidden behind her furnace "We make sure to always have large reserves"

"Oh ... mighty bananas you mean ? I-I'm not sure it works that way, will they do have an effect on your body they can create addictions and-"

"Addiction ? I don't understand what you are talking about" Immediately in a defensive position, that was enough to confirm what Zelda had been explaining.

"How many times did you use bananas in your food this week ?"

...

"Ok ok, too many times ... but them how should I cook it ?"

"I- ... I think I you could turn your bananas into elixir by mixing it with monsters organs, the effects would last for a longer period and if you do not consume too much you wouldn't be addicted-" Zelda found herself caught at both shoulders by her roommate which was suddenly very exited.

"That's it ! Sheik ! I was so captivated by that ! This is what you can talk about to the kids, food and stuff !"

The princess had troubles to decide if she should take this as a good idea or if she should feel ashamed to be reduced to talk about "food and stuff" as Freya said "I do not know much about alimentation, I have some basics but-"

"That's what the kids need ! They now how to hunt and find food in the wild, but what if they accidentally consume something poisoned ?"

"... I guess I have more than basics in that case, that sounds like something they need to know, are you certain they will be interested ?"

"They barely go out remember ? You would be surprised to know about the amount of brats that keep harassing me to ask for something to bring back or force me to tell them stories about my last journey"

"Hahaha, I'm certain you were just like them"

"True, I worked hard to obtain this task ... I- ... I wasn't born inside the clan you know ? Like most of the other I was an orphan, I never knew my parents or any kind of family, the Yiga clan was all I ever needed, and I was never sad ... I just wished that I could be more-"

"Free ?" Completed Zelda.

"Free yes ... you probably never felt imprisoned like-"

"I did" Zelda sat on her bed and looked at her feets "I didn't realise I was until a few months ago when- ... my father became more and more strict, I had to accomplish something very important, but no matter how strong my dedication was I couldn't achieve anything, imagine, you are member of the Yiga clan, you probably know how to fight ... what if one day you-you wanted to become anything else ... a librarian for example ... does it mean that would be impossible ?"

"Your father- ... he forced you to become something you didn't want to be ?"

"To-to be exact he pushed me to become something I had to be, because the life of many people were in danger" Freya was confused and Zelda could see that her roommate didn't understand, it was better that way.

"I ran away because I knew how the people looked at me when I had my back turned, I was a burden for everyone because I couldn't become what they needed and then I-I figured out it would be better if-better if-" her words were soon replaced by sobs and tears "I feel like I betray everyone !"

"Sheik hey ! Calm down ! No one here is against you !" The Yiga didn't know how she was supposed to react, she didn't understand the girl's story and she had rather not say another word as she might just huer her even more so instead she just tries to hug her friend hoping that it would make her pain go away for now.


	4. Introduction with the clan, sort of

Zelda woke up ... she was startled by the roof that she didn't recognise, and the blanket that wasn't as heavy as she knew, but she quickly recalled how she got there.

And she was almost relieved that she did not wake up in her own bed at the castle ... the room was illuminated by a large lantern placed in it's centre, Freya was gone already, when she got up Zelda noticed that a pile of cloth had been left next to her futon. There was also a small note on top of it, Zelda unfolded the small piece of paper, it read

_"Hey sleepy head ! You really have a hard time with alcohol, anyway, I left you those branded yiga cloth, you might want to wear them when you are at the hideout, I'm currently confessing at the shrine (or asking around what people needs) you should drop by too ! You have a lot on your mind, trust me it would do you good if you just let your pain go"_

Once she was done reading Zelda folded back the note and took a look at that famous yiga outfit, as she expected it wasn't something complete closed up, even though the air in the hideout was cold since the whole place was digged inside a mountain, anyone would probably die if their cloth gave them too much heat.

It was a some sort of long coat but mixed with a dress ... yes Zelda had heard about it somewhere, Impa had called it a Kimono. It was a grey and red Kimono with the symbol of the Yiga clan painted on the back ... she likes it a lot, she didn't think the Yiga could make something so beautiful.

She put it on ... well, at least Zelda tried to wear it in the most logical way she could come up with, and then she started to wonder how the other members of the clan would look at her if she messed up something as simple as wearing the one outfit all women must he wearing around the place ...

And she couldn't tell once again if it was worse than suddenly being exposed as the princess of Hyrule.

There was a small mirror attached to the wall, Zelda used it to have a look at herself ... she looked good, her father would never let her wear something like that in public though ... in the end she was exiting to get out of that room, she took a deep breath and grabbed the door handle when it was suddenly dragged by an unknown forced.

Zelda didn't let go quickly enough and got dragged with the door.

"Sheik ! Wake up it's-" It was Freya and she seemed to be in a hurry, from her point of view, her new friend Sheik was dressed up in the traditional Yiga outfit and she looked even cuter now, but she was also laying against the ground for an unknown reason "Uh Sheik ? Are you alright ?"

"Y-yes it's nothing I grabbed the door handle at the same time you did and- It-it doesn't matter, is something wrong ?"

"It's granny Onak, she called the whole clan to make an announcement !" Freya grabbed Zelda's hand and immediately dragged her out of the room, then she lead her directly to a larger room the was shaped in the form of an amphitheater. When Frey said that the whole clan had been called she really mean the WHOLE clan, children, adults and elders alike were chatting and whispering while Onak was discussing with a pair of masked Yiga on a higher place in the room.

"Fine I see ..." the old woman turned around to face her clan and took a deep breath "SILENCE !" She Yelled as loud as she could, Onak managed to create a very strong echo that traveled through the whole cavern.

She waited a moment to be sure that everyone's attention had been caught "Good ... Before I start I want to make sure that every single one of you understands this, this is technically a rumour but in the next few days this rumour could, and again I say could, very well turn into truth ... our spies at castle town reported that the princess had disappeared"

The silence that followed was very special, Zelda couldn't hold back a smile, for a few seconds she thought about her "dear" father desperately trying to find her, not even because she might be in danger but rather because she might not be here if and when the calamity appears.

The whispers between the clan members intensified for a few seconds until Onak spoke again "This could very well be a trap, yet at the same time if the princess is out of the castle and unprotected this means it's time for us to act, our scouts will temporarily be called back and given new assignments, we need as much information as we can about every criminal groups in Hyrule, human or not, if they are able to actually kidnap or "lure" the princess out of the castle, the opportunity is too great to be missed ... and yes there will also be a special reward to the one or those who will contribute the most to make sure that we catch the princess"

And she was among then, they knew she wasn't protected anymore and yet they couldn't even find her in the most dangerous place she could ever get herself. It had to be a lame joke, how could all of this even be possible ? She sort of befriended a member of the Yiga clan, drunk with her, slept with another person in the same room, ate something that hadn't been prepared at the castle nor was "proper" for a young lady and now she was standing among a literal pack of hungry wolves ... and soon she might even become their teatcher.

"Sheik ? Are you alright ?" Calmly asked Freya standing next to Zelda "I understand that this is a theatrical way to start the day but you have been uh "starring" in front if you like this a few times since we met, is this an habit of you or are you simply staring at ghosts that normal people can't see ?"

She wished that it had been the second option, at least she would have felt slightly more special, she shook her head and smiled "N-No it's fine, I was just ... thinking in general"

The princess wondered how her father reacted ... how the champions reacted, how Impa, the person she considered as her mentor reacted to her disappearance, were they scared ? Worried ? Disappointed ? Would they even be looking for a useless princess that couldn't even figure put the secrets of the guardians ?

Onak spoke again "Anyway, this is all I had to say but I wanted to make sure each and every one of you got the information correctly ... now to back to your occupations, and do not let this make this day any different than another" The elder returned to her house and the rest of the clan went back to what they were previously doing as Onak instructed.

Freya bumped into Zelda's shoulder to get her attention "You haven't eaten anything yet did you ?" The girl asked grinning.

"N-no I haven't" the princess answered hesitantly, The Yiga took her hand and started to drag her across the hideout.

"We will grab some fruits on the way, I don't have anything to do right now and I would like to see how good you are with a bow" She was decent, that's how Zelda would describe her skills with a bow, on the other hand she was completely unable to use any other kind weapon, she simply never liked any kind of weapons in general.

"Well ... if you want to, it's-it's not like I have anything to do myself" excepted preparing her funerals if the Yiga clan even cares enough about that ...

The princess tried very hard to not consider how a member of the clan could possibly kill her at any moment, poison, knife, strangulation, putting her on fire, the more she thought about it the more it was getting astronomically stupid.

_"Why am I even staying ? I should just run away and hide somewhere else" _ After a moment she stopped following Freya, in fact she just stood idle the middle of the way without noticing it.

That one question she just asked herself, why would she stay here ? What's the point if she takes the risk to get killed as soon as her true identity is revealed ? She could be anywhere else away from Hyrule and the Yiga clan ... away from her troubles, perhaps even happy ?

No, she wasn't happy, her life had never been simple, and it will probably never be, she never asked to be the princess, she never asked to be given so many responsibilities that nature couldn't even help her to fulfill any of it, she had absolutely no magical or divine power and all her efforts to find another solution were never recognized ...

She didn't came here because she wanted run away she came here because ... she wanted to di-?

"Hey Sheik ! By the great Calamity snap out of it ! People are starting at us ! ... I mean you,m they are starring at you I'm not the weird person standing in the middle of the way and moving her lips without making a single noise" Zelda blushed, the other members of the clan laughed a bit when she snapped back to reality, she can't blame them, but she is probably the only person present who doesn't find this situation funny.

"S-sorry that-that won't happen again I promise" Freya walked away and this time Zelda stayed as close from her as she could.

"Sheik, if something is wrong you can tell me, I do not like it when I see someone suffering like that" the Yiga girl intentionally slowed down and took a detour in a less populated area of the hideout to speak with Zelda.

"I'm fine I swear, it's just that there is a lot to ... assimilate now that I joined the clan ..." The princess pretended to either look at the ground or in front of her but she could see that her new friend kept looking at her and it was getting oppressive.

"You are not feeling safe here ?" Freya asked calmly grabbing Zelda's shoulder to prevent her from continuing.

"... I- ... I do not want to offend you-"

"It's fine Sheik ! Anyone would feel just like you if they arrived here without much purpose in life" she forgot to add the fact that Zelda was the princess of Hyrule in her equation.

"I will try to let go off that sensation I swear ... can we just go now ?" She meant to ask this politely but she ended up raising her voice with a hight pitched tone, letting her fear speak in her place once again"

"Yes !" Freya gave her a gentle tap in the back and the two women were once again heading for the famous training area the Yiga had been talking about "Do you have any preference for a bow ?"

"Hum ... anything that isn't categorised as heavyweight I suppose"

"Hahaha I understand, hopefully we do not have anything like that ... wait what's even a heavyweight bow ?"

"Like ... a decorated one ? The royal guard at the castle uses a special type of bows which are "supposedly" reinforced ... to be honest I do not see any different excepted that they are four times heavier than normal ones"

"Perhaps it is supposed the guards in a good shape ? ... I mean, they really invest in decorated bows ? That sounds absurd"

"You are the ones using tights suits and ... uh ... odd weapons"

"Those are traditional Yigas tools ! ... and combat clothes ! And they are way more comfortable than they look" countered Freya. "...Actually I'm also gonna have to take your measurements after your training"

"My- ... my measurements ?" Asked Zelda confused and disturbed by that question.

"Well yes, our suits need to be adapted for each of us, that means no fixed sizes" Freya displayed a mischievous grin on her face."You aren't thinking I would do things to you ... are you ?"

Zelda looked away for a second to suppress her blush "You seem to enjoy this kind of situations a little bit too much, and no I'm not even considering that you would be perverted enough to- ... assault me or try anything while I would be in a vulnerable state"

Freya ended up laughing "Hahaha, you are really weird Sheik ! I like it, you aren't boring"

"I suppose I will take this as a compliment" Finally the two of then arrived at the training grounds, a large opened area, Zelda left the hideout of the Yiga and she now found herself between two cliff, in the depth of a canyon, about thirty members of the clans were currently sparring or discussing, some were even ... floating ?

Freya noticed that Zelda was especially starring at this curious display "impressive isn't it ? They are elder members of the clan, they know how to manipulate the energy of the great Calamity"

"The never of-?! You-you mean right now they are-"

"Meditating, they aren't disturbed by the other members, in fact they wouldn't be disturbed if a bomb exploded next to them, I do not really understand how it works but ... to keep it simple they "commute" with the calamity, they feed it with their emotions and this gives them some magic abilities, it varies from an user to another though, Kohga is the youngest of them, for example he can fly around in the air and he can literally summon large metal balls and uh ... create ... blue walls ? Look, that's magic, I don't like it or hate it, it's just too weird for me ... let's just get you a bow and-" Freya had lost her friend once again, Zelda observed the elders of the clan ...

She thought about this new fact for a moment, these people could use magic, what if she asked-

"Don't" whispering Freya behind her "You wanna give it a try right ?" The Yiga read throught the princess like an open book.

"I didn't say-"

"I'm not holding you back if you want to talk with them, but be careful, while the calamity gives them strength it also affects their minds, they aren't aggressive ... but they look sad all the time" explained Freya.

"Sad ? ... but if its affecting their mind why do they-"

"It's a choice, remember when granny Onak talked about confessing to the calamity ? She meant it, they are constantly conversing with it, exchanging their thoughts, they obtain answers, power, but some knowledge isn't good to discover, sometimes they have terrible nightmares during the night. I do not see you getting introduce to this sort of practice"

"I-I understand, thank you Freya I-"

"Well well well, isn't that the new recruit" interrupted a booming voice behind the two woman.

Freya sighed and turned around to face the said voice "Well well well, isn't that Pogha" she miss pronounced his name on purpose and it seemed to annoy Kogha a lot, the young man was now stomping the ground worth his left foot out of anger.

"HAVE SOME RESPECT !" Kogha screeched.

"I'm older than you so technically you are the brat throwing me a tantrum ... anyway, what do you want ?" Kogha regained a neutral composure and pointed a finger at Zelda.

"I want to see what she can do ! You would not have brought her here if she didn't have anything special to offer, and hum ... well I uh-"

"You do not have anything else better to do I got it ... so you came here to disturb us ?" Taunted Freya once again.

"I haven't done anything ! Just-" in the blink of an eye the Yiga moved in front of Zelda "You ! Pick a bow and just shoot at-" he looked all around the canyon until he appeared to have found something, Kogha snapped his fingers and a metal ball materialised out of thin air near the other end of the canyon "This !"

Freya got angry, she couldn't let him be so rude in front of Zelda, she grabbed the younger Yiga's shoulders and started to shake him rather violently "Are you out of your mind ! You can't just impose that kind of exercise to other people ! She only arrived here yesterday and you are already acting like a buffoon-"

"S-st-stop sha-shaking m-me you-"

"I will do it" Zelda forced herself to raise her voice, she didn't pay attention to what happened after Kogha summoned his sphere, she was still amazed by this strange magic ... no simple archer could reach a target from this distance, yet she believed she was perfectly able to make it.

"What ?" Freya dropped Kogha "Sheik ... hehehe, look I know you managed to defeat a large monster and stuff but you do not have to react to the other idiot's stupid challenges"

"I heard that !" Added Kogha as he stood up.

"I'm serious, I will do it ... can I have a bow ?"

Freya sighed and went looking for a bow, soon enough the other members of the clan present in the exercise area regrouped around Zelda to watch the spectacle, of course Freya noticed it ... she though about yelling at them for putting even more pressure over the princess but she was a gambler, and if Zelda could land an arrow on Kogha's target she would definitely be praised and Kogha on the other would be humiliated once again.

Freya doesn't hate him, she just thinks it good for the young Yiga to be put back in his place from time to time.

"Here, is it light enough ?" She handed the bow to Zelda, she felt the hand of her friend shaking, she was not focused apparently.

"Y-yes that will do, thank you" Zelda took a deep breath, she grabbed an arrow from a barrel that had been placed next to a small shooting range.

At the point the target seemed to be even further than it was a mere months ago ... yet ... she aimed, she focus her vision on the metal ball and between the moment when she blinked and when she let the arrow go the princess could almost visualized the trajectory of her projectile.

The arrow flew all across the canyon, the silence was even more uncomfortable than the presence of the Yigas behind her.

The arrow started to drop downwards, it was gaining more speed, and then ...

...

A metallic Impact, the arrow reached it's target.

The Crownguard behind her lifted her in the air for a whole minute, while Kogha was transmitting his frustration to the ground "You made it Sheik ! I thought you were a good archer but you aren't even ten times better wait-wait I mean not even hundreds of times better than I thought !" Freya hugged her in a friendly way.

The other Yiga went back to their occupations one by one, some asked her where she learnt to use a bow, the only thing she could tell them, and it was the truth, is that it was either pure luck, or she truly had some natural talents with a bow.

Even kogha praised her ... probably against his own will and more because the clan was looking at him "I guess I was mistaken, you are ... good yeah ... uh, keep that up or something, I have stuff to do now" Zelda waved at him hesitantly but he didn't see her, Kogh walked at a fast rhythm away from the training area.

"Hehehe, I wonder what face he had under his mask ... you really don't know how to use a bow ? Then how by the Great calamity did you hit his target ?"

"I- I know how it works, it's just I never use a bow actively in my life ... no one taught me, I just looked at other people when they were using one"

"Still ... even luck can't help someone to do that, you really are something Sheik hehehe, i guess you deserve a reward"

"A reward ?"

"Trust me, you are gonna love it !" Freya didn't drag Zelda around this time, she lead her back to the main part of the hideout where most "shops" were located, it was very similar to the bazar at Gerudo town except the fact that people weren't using money at all, or sometime exchanging with food or other objects "Here we are"

Freya had brought Zelda what resembled a clothing boutique, but considering all the Yiga suits looked the same it was rather an armoury. An older woman was taking a look at a burn on a suit "damn it, how do they manage to ruin it when it's made out of Lezalfos scales ..." she complained to herself as she hadn't noticed Freay yet.

"Heyyyyy Minaaaa"

The keeper of the armory raised her head but her she narrowed her stared when she saw Freya "Oh ... it's you, I'm still waiting for those ancient pieces I asked" she sounded ... cold toward Freya.

"Oh don't be mad at me, you have no idea of how hard it is to get close from the archeological sites of Hyrule ... plus they are currently toying with the guardians to make them work again, I had rather not get too close ... anyway, Sheik here needs a suit"

Zelda waved a bit and forced a smile, the keeper simply frowned and stood up from her seat "Sure, what do you need ? Oh wait you are the new member, I should probably give you some details, our suits are adapted to keep the wearer warm in cold areas and ... well cold in hot areas like the desert, they do not protect you as efficiently if you are injured directly by a magical attack for example though, so keep that in mind, then I can give your suit a unique adaptation, I'm still experimenting so it might not work correctly" she designed with her hand the burned suit once again. "Do you have any specialisation ? or any talent in general ?"

"Uh-n-not really but- ... I can use a bow"

"Good ... actually, I have a suit that hasn't been used yet, it is made out of Moldarquor skin, it's soft and for some reason it's gery adherent to most surfaces, even sand ... weird you know since they are literally tunneling through sand" Mina came back with the suit, it wasn't red compared to most of the suit that were being displayed, it was dark blue.

"It looks amazing" Zelda commented.

"I know my job, of course it looks amazing ... thank you though, I had to treat it with something different so the colour isn't very Yiga like ... but I guess it makes you even more discreet, what's your name already ?"

"Sheik, it's Sheik"

"Sheik ... take care of it, if you come back within a weak to have it repaired you are definitely banned from this place ... the armoury I mean, not the clan hehehe, do you mind if I help you to try it on ? It might need few adjustments, it became thinner after the last treatment I gave it"

"I don't mind, and if it's more comfortable" Mina gestured for Zelda to followed her in the back room of the armory.

"It will only take a minute" the keeper handed the suit to Zelda who patiently waited in the center of the back room ..."Is something wrong ?" She asked.

Zelda didn't understand at first, but then the realisation hit her like a stone against her forehand "I-I apologise I was thinking about something else" she proceeded to undress in front of Mina, she was expecting the woman to help her but then she remembered she wasn't at the castle anymore and ... well she never really had any need for help when it came to putting on clothes, except these large "official" dresses she was forced to wear during receptions.

The suit was fairly easy to put on, Zelda didn't have any trouble to get inside, the texture was soft yet robust, and even a bit elastic "I dose feel anything wrong when I'm moving around" the princess stated.

"Turn around" Zelda obeyed "... well, looks like it fits you, it might loosen up a bit after some time, come back if you need adjuste-"

"Hey sheik !" Freya appeared in the back room "Granny Onak called us ! We have to go !" The girl left as soon as she arrived.

"Humf rude ... do not remove your suit yet, you might need it soon enough" Mina looked at Zelda's "civil clothes" and picked them up "Acfually I'm going to have a look at these, they are in a terrible state" Mina commented bluntly before heading out of the back room.

Zelda was about to say it was fine but the keeper was too fast and locked here behind a door with a small sign that read "Mina's works do not enter unless delivery" the princess sighed, she looked at herself in a mirror before heading out though ... she did not remember ever trying to wear a Sheika battle suit before ... they weren't really different from the Yiga suits but these ones were more advanced.

Once she was done Zelda ran out of the armory and joined Freya at Onak's apartments, she entered, making as less noise as possible, the elder was sitting on a cushion in front of Freya, when Zelda arrived she was invited to sit next to her.

"Good, Freya took the time to find you some equipment" noted the woman.

"Yes" responded Zelda.

"I need you two to go out for a watch mission, I have already sent a few groups like yours all around Hyrule, we have received new informations from our spies at the castle ... it has been confirmed, the princess is gone"

Freya looked at Zelda and so did she, from her point of view the Yiga was asking herself if this was a good or a bad new, from the point of view of the princess it sounded like the new gossip of the court being spread all around Hyrule ... except it was true this time, she was "gone".

"So ... wait you think we can find her if we just camp all around Hyrule ?" The younger Yiga asked.

"I'm trying to figure out our next moves, for now this is the best we can do, you will be going to the east cliffs of the desert"

"The cliffs ?!" Freya complained and stood up "Granny Onak, there isn't even a road to get their and no villages anywhere around either, why would the princess, if she has been kidnapped or something, would even be here ?"

"It's either that or north of death mountain !" Said the elder also standing up and pointing her staff at the young Yiga.

Freya sighed and sat back "Fine ... Sheik you agree with this ?"

"Y-yes"

"Good then you are leaving in half an hour, pack up your equipment, bring anything that you feel necessary, I will send someone to tell you when your mission will end, you two are free to go" the elder waved them away.

Freya wasn't in an enthusiastic mood anymore, both of them went back to their apartments silently "I can't believe we are being sent in the second worst part of Hyrule"

"You haven't done this kind of mission before ?"

"I have, more than you think, the thing is, most of the time it was enjoyable, this time we are being sent to a freaking snowstorm" Freya threw a few winter coats at Zelda who barely managed to hold all of them.

"And-and how long will it last ?"

"Hopefully one week ... you know how to climb ?" Zelda froze, she could swim a bit, she came a few timers to the Zora domain and she spent some time with Mipha but climbing ?

"Absolutely nothing, sorry"

"It's fine, I'll give you some basics ... stupid princess Zelda, because of her we are gonna have to work like hell until something special happens ..."

Ignoring her comment Zelda smiled a bit, a week in the mountain couldn't be too bad right ?


End file.
